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Davie P got a reaction from mikeyboy in Brexit (merged threads)
All Leave has is pre-legislative referendum over 3 years ago - off that back of they they have consistently tried to circumvent laws and democratic parliamentary processes to push their agenda through, an agenda that is now a distant relation from what was promised. To accuse people who wish to see laws and democratic processes observed as having an 'extremist viewpoint' is just nonsense.
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Davie P got a reaction from mikeyboy in Brexit (merged threads)
Nah, trying to trivialise it as normal procedure isn't going to cut it. It's a PM trying to close down parliament to force through a constitutional agenda he doesn't have a majority for. We should all be concerned about that, regardless of our opinion on Brexit.
And it's a 5 week suspension, not 4 days. Even allowing for conference recess, this is unprecedented.
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Davie P got a reaction from Selkie in Brexit (merged threads)
Urabug, your rhetoric doesn't cut it.
The reality is that a proven liar who does not have a Prime-ministerial mandate tested at a General Election is attempting to bypass the seat of our sovereign democracy in order to push through an agenda that was not proposed at the time of an advisory referendum won on a slim majority.
It is ridiculous to attempt to justify this scenario by bandying around the word 'democracy'. If you believe it is democratic, I suggest you read some political history and see where this type of scenario leads. Whether or not you support Brexit, Wednesdays events are an affront to parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy.
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Davie P got a reaction from Selkie in Brexit (merged threads)
Boris Johnson is playing a very dangerous game - attempting to "take back control" from the EU by attempting to bypass the sovereign parliament Brexiters wish to have more power.
Today's events bode very badly for British democratic processes, and it is ironic that many Brexit supporters seem to be happy about it. Reverting to the tired old 'will of the people' referendum rhetoric is ridiculous when a 'no-deal' agenda that was never proposed during the referendum.
Unless, of course, Brexiters are happy with a sovereign parliament that can be switched on and off on the whim of a Prime Minister.
We appear to be heading toward dictatorial facism.
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Davie P reacted to Colin in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
"This is fundamental to party politics though. Candidates for the other parties will be bound by manifestos and the party whip too."
and THAT is what's wrong with the whole business. Regardless of the party, an elected MSP/MP/Whatever should, first and foremost, be there to represent the wishes and needs of his electorate and not be subject to the whims of the party "machine".
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Davie P got a reaction from Roachmill in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
This is fundamental to party politics though. Candidates for the other parties will be bound by manifestos and the party whip too.
I'm open minded re: politics and have a relatively neutral stance, but there are many people who have made up their mind long ago re: SNP and are disproportionately determined to find fault in everything Wills says in order to support their existing opinion.
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Davie P reacted to Windwalker in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
The issue for me is whether any of it is genuine or is it all about timing, and a clear determination to win by whatever means they can throw at it. You get the feeling they are following a prepared script and timetable, no doubt been planned out by the advisers in Edinburgh.
I would have liked to see a campaign run by Tom himself with some support from his party, not one run by his party, with some support from him. They have hijacked ‘his’ campaign.
It’s a shame as I do believe Tom’s desire to represent Shetland well, are genuine, but if elected, I think he’ll find his ability to work on Shetlands behalf will depend on whether this fits the party line.
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Davie P got a reaction from George. in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
Which bit are you complaining about? Kids being taught about climate science and politics, or kids being politically active?
Are you suggesting he is taking a stance on climate change for his own financial benefit? If so, I suggest you take your accusation as a conflict of interest complaint to the Scottish Government. It may be a more effective way forward than making insinuations on a forum.
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Davie P reacted to Frizbee in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
How about both? How about looking into carbon capture to offset the emissions from fossil fuels while using the fact that Shetland has multiple green energy sources literally on her doorstep and work out how to best harness them?
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Davie P got a reaction from Frizbee in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
I'm not sure that the Green Party candidate calling for the end of the North Sea oil industry will win her too many votes in Shetland - https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2019/08/16/green-candidate-calls-for-beginning-of-the-end-for-oil-industry
I think Tom Wills has a more pragmatic view that “As long as oil and gas extraction is continuing then I want to see the benefits to Shetland maximised.” - https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/north-sea/204857/snp-tidal-energy-hopeful-wants-to-maximise-shetland-oil-and-gas-extraction/
What do you folks think? Make the best of it while we can and/or make a more concerted push for green?
Edit: obviously all the candidates will have an opinion on it. The above examples are just for illustration purposes!
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Davie P got a reaction from Frizbee in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
Yes, it's a fundamental problem with elements of our democracy and media - spectacle and sensation grabs people's attention and there's no way to hold liars to account. They just say whatever they think people want to hear, shrug it off if it's proven to be false and carry on.
I think they best thing we can do is try not to be hoodwinked by the buggers, inform ourselves rather than get swept up in their rhetoric, and have reasoned discussion that aims to find compromise and consensus rather than take sides and throw buns at each other.
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Davie P got a reaction from Frizbee in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
^ Indeed, I can't recall an election where so many people were still 'floating voters' in the weeks beforehand.
I believe Radio Shetland are hosting a hustings the week before the vote. I'll probably make my decision after that.
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Davie P got a reaction from Arfski in One way van rental? Cheapest way to get stuff up!
I was looking to do the same thing a few years ago and ended up putting it onto pallets and shipping it via United Pallet Network (UPN) / Northwards http://northwardsltd.com/pallet-network/
It worked out to be a lot cheaper. Some UPN agents will pick it up for you and others will require you to take it to a depot
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Davie P reacted to peeriebryan in Investing & Saving
(I'm a little bit late with a response but...) here's a few links to comparisons and reviews
Compare cheapest (and best) investment ISA platforms How to choose the best (and cheapest) DIY investing Isa Compare investment platform fees and charges You'll need to think about how often you plan to buy/sell shares and how much your overall portfolio will be worth as some platforms charge per trade, some charge a flat % fee or a combination of both
This is excellent advice. ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) are bundles of securities (i.e. shares, bonds, commodities etc) and are ideal for getting started with investing. When you buy a share in an EFT you're essentially buying multiple smaller shares across a range of securities.
They're generally divided into two classes - passive, which will track a specific market (such as the S&P 500 JGHR mentioned) or active, which has a fund manager who makes the investment decisions (these funds generally have higher fees as the fund manager takes a commission)
Investopedia > Exchange Traded Fund
Again, excellent advice. The markets can be quite volatile in the short term but over the long term (5+ years) they have consistently risen in value. In general, if you hold your nerve and don't sell your shares when markets take a dip you should be OK. In fact, when markets are on a downturn it can be a good time to buy as you'll get more shares for your money
DIsclaimer: I'm nae expert, I'm just some fellow on da internet!
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Davie P reacted to Ghostrider in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
'Freebies' are all fine and well, but they need to be realistic and sensible. They should be based strictly on 'need', blanket freebies for everybody just ends up with those on minimum wage subsidising those on £50k and more who can well afford to pay.
In the case of subsidised North boat and air fares, the number each eligible person can claim in a year should be strictly limited, otherwise it just encourages shopping jollies which do nothing but take money out of teh local economy. If the SNP want see Shetland grow and thrive, then heavily subsidies freight costs and subsidise tourist fares. The nearer to Aberdeen costs our exports are when they hit the pier in Abderdden, and our imports are when they hit the Lerwick pier, the more competitive and profitable local business becomes, and tourists come here to spend.
Wills' 'promises', some of which Labour share, are designed to appeal to the instant gratification 'me, me, me' mob, they do nothing to enhance and improve Shetland or its population going forward.
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Davie P got a reaction from Selkie in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
So, you consider the freely accessible legislation, much of which has been on the statute books for decades and was discussed at length in both houses of parliament pre-referendumn, and the subsequent high profile High Court cases, to be "clauses hidden in the small print"?
I think this is symptomatic of one of the fundamental issues with Brexit - more column inches and airtime was given to blatant liars and politicians making undeliverable aspirational claims than was given to discussing the realities of the situation.
The legislative detail may not fit with the headline grabbing narratives of Boris' £35m NHS bus, UKIPs anti-imigrant propaganda or promises of new trade deals before breakfast, but if folk didn't understand the legal basis of the referendum, or consider the law of the land to be some sort of inconvenient detail, then perhaps there's a problem with how the information was presented to the public?
And if folk didn't understand the fundamental legal underpinnings of the referendum, then perhaps that provides even more impetus to make sure the detail is worked through in parliament?
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Davie P got a reaction from mikeyboy in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
So, you consider the freely accessible legislation, much of which has been on the statute books for decades and was discussed at length in both houses of parliament pre-referendumn, and the subsequent high profile High Court cases, to be "clauses hidden in the small print"?
I think this is symptomatic of one of the fundamental issues with Brexit - more column inches and airtime was given to blatant liars and politicians making undeliverable aspirational claims than was given to discussing the realities of the situation.
The legislative detail may not fit with the headline grabbing narratives of Boris' £35m NHS bus, UKIPs anti-imigrant propaganda or promises of new trade deals before breakfast, but if folk didn't understand the legal basis of the referendum, or consider the law of the land to be some sort of inconvenient detail, then perhaps there's a problem with how the information was presented to the public?
And if folk didn't understand the fundamental legal underpinnings of the referendum, then perhaps that provides even more impetus to make sure the detail is worked through in parliament?
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Davie P got a reaction from mikeyboy in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
I don't 'believe' it, I'm going by MSP voting stats, and news reports from the time.
You seem to be conflating whether parties supported the actual referendum with whether they supported the vote for 16 year olds
After the success of the introduction of votes for 16 year olds for the referendumn, the Scottish Parliament unanimously introduced votes at 16 for all Holyrood and local elections in Scotland in 2015 {source} I suggest you look up what Ruth Davidson said after the referendum - she was very open about how she changed her mind.
I suppose you could consider it to be cynical gerrymandering, or you could consider it to be politicians doing what they thought was the right thing and others retrospectively agreeing.
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Davie P got a reaction from mikeyboy in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
Ha! That's just not true! You're going to have to try a bit harder to turn this into a negative that you can lay at the SNP's door
The Scottish Referendum may have been the first (that I'm aware of) election in the UK that extended the franchise to 16 year olds, but it was done with cross party support.
Furthermore, many UK parties have supported the vote for 16 year olds for yonks, there have been many groups and political think tanks who have campaigned for it, and it's common in other countries.
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Davie P got a reaction from mikeyboy in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
There was plenty of discussion about it at the time, but it tended to be quite dry and academic - I think it just wasn't exciting enough to make headline grabbing news! Nor did it suit any particular party or news organisation - they were all engaged in mobilising and polarising their troops in an effort to gain a clear majority. Adding 'by the way, it's only advisory' to their slogans wouldn't have motivated folk into voting either way!
If I was a cynic I'd offer that the Brexiteer politicians and pro-leave media have been aware of the advisory nature of the referendum all along, but sneaked through with a slim majority and tried to rewrite and reframe the rules with an emotive 'will of the people' slant. The Tories trying to implement Article 50 without going through parliament, then being pulled up in the High Court about it, and the Daily Mail declaring the judges as 'Enemies of the people' is a good example.
It seems to have worked though. For example, just a few hours ago Urabug called me a '(friends with concerns about Brexit)' who is 'making up stories and stirring the **ite again' when I pointed to the legislation. Folk will believe what they want, particularly if it's backed up by misinformation from the media and less than honest politicians.
The alternative is that the media/politicians weren't paying attention when it was discussed in parliament, or hadn't done their legislative homework, which is feasible!
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Davie P got a reaction from Windwalker in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
Yes, it's a fundamental problem with elements of our democracy and media - spectacle and sensation grabs people's attention and there's no way to hold liars to account. They just say whatever they think people want to hear, shrug it off if it's proven to be false and carry on.
I think they best thing we can do is try not to be hoodwinked by the buggers, inform ourselves rather than get swept up in their rhetoric, and have reasoned discussion that aims to find compromise and consensus rather than take sides and throw buns at each other.
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Davie P reacted to Windwalker in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
Yeah it’s just a pity that politicians on all sides of the debate try to play with and twist the truth for their own aims. But unfortunately that politics.
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Davie P reacted to Windwalker in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
I take your point, but most people getting a voting slip assumes they are voting for what’s on the slip and they accept the majority comes out on top. They don’t think when they have been asked to vote, that it will only be counted as advisory when it clearly doesn't say that on the slip, nor did any of the news articles mention this at the time if voting. Funny it’s just come to light now.
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Davie P got a reaction from George. in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
Ha! That's just not true! You're going to have to try a bit harder to turn this into a negative that you can lay at the SNP's door
The Scottish Referendum may have been the first (that I'm aware of) election in the UK that extended the franchise to 16 year olds, but it was done with cross party support.
Furthermore, many UK parties have supported the vote for 16 year olds for yonks, there have been many groups and political think tanks who have campaigned for it, and it's common in other countries.
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Davie P got a reaction from George. in Poll - 2019 Shetland MSP by-election
Labour, the Lib-Dems, Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru, amongst other parties, all support votes for 16 year olds. The Conservatives and UKIP want to keep the age limit at 18, but the Scottish Conservatives support voting at 16.